Capital: Phoenix
Population: 5,130,632
Governor: Janet Napolitano (D, to January 2011)
Entered the Union February 14, 1912
as the 48th state
Motto: Ditat Deus (God Enriches)
Nickname: The Grand Canyon state
Flower: Flower of the saguaro cactus
Bird: Cactus Wren
Song: "Arizona March Song"
Sports Teams:
(sport listing policy) Phoenix Suns (Men's Basketball); Phoenix Coyotes (Hockey); Arizona Cardinals (Football); Arizona Diamondbacks (Major League Baseball), Phoenix Mercury (Women's Professional Basketball)
Origin of Name: From the Native American word "Arizonac," meaning "little spring" or "young spring"
Major Industries Manufacturing, Agriculture, Copper
Historical Sites: Tombstone, site of the famous shootout at the O.K. Corral ; Prescott, the first territorial capital of Arizona ; the Yuma Crossing, first used in the 1600s by Spanish traveling to California
Points of Interest: The Grand Canyon, the Petrified Forest, the Hoover Dam, Monument Valley
Bordering States: Arizona borders California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Mexico.
Source: State of Arizona
Population, 2006 estimate: 6,166,318
Population, percent change, April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2006: 20.2%
Population, 2000: 5,130,632
Persons under 5 years old, percent, 2006: 7.8%
Persons under 18 years old, percent, 2006: 26.4%
Persons 65 years old and over, percent, 2006: 12.8%
Female persons, percent, 2006: 50.0%
White persons, percent, 2006 (a): 87.3%
Black persons, percent, 2006 (a): 3.8%
American Indian and Alaska Native persons, percent, 2006 (a): 4.8%
Asian persons, percent, 2006 (a): 2.4%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, percent, 2006 (a): 0.2%
Persons reporting two or more races, percent, 2006: 1.6%
Persons of Hispanic or Latino origin, percent, 2006 (b): 29.2%
White persons not Hispanic, percent, 2006: 59.7%
Living in same house in 1995 and 2000, pct 5 yrs old & over: 44.3%
Foreign born persons, percent, 2000: 12.8%
Language other than English spoken at home, pct age 5+, 2000: 25.9%
High school graduates, percent of persons age 25+, 2000: 81.0%
Bachelor's degree or higher, pct of persons age 25+, 2000: 23.5%
Persons with a disability, age 5+, 2000: 902,252
Mean travel time to work (minutes), workers age 16+, 2000: 24.9
Housing units, 2006: 2,605,283
Homeownership rate, 2000: 68.0%
Housing units in multi-unit structures, percent, 2000: 22.1%
Median value of owner-occupied housing units, 2000: $121,300
Households, 2000: 1,901,327
Persons per household, 2000: 2.64
Median household income, 2004: $43,696
Per capita money income, 1999: $20,275
Persons below poverty, percent, 2004: 14.6%
Source: U.S.Census Bureau
(a) Includes persons reporting only one race.
(b) Hispanics may be of any race, so also are included in applicable race categories.
Total Gross Domestic Product by State: 212,312
Private industries: 185,757
Agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting: 2,161
Crop and animal production (Farms): 1,642
Forestry, fishing, and related activities: 519
Mining: 2,468
Oil and gas extraction: 1
Mining, except oil and gas: 2,399
Support activities for mining: 68
Utilities: 3,723
Construction: 15,905
Manufacturing: 17,208
Durable goods: 14,431
Wood product manufacturing: 549
Nonmetallic mineral product manufacturing: 1,037
Primary metal manufacturing: 320
Fabricated metal product manufacturing: 1,570
Machinery manufacturing: 640
Computer and electronic product manufacturing: 5,196
Electrical equipment and appliance manufacturing: 193
Motor vehicle, body, trailer, and parts manufacturing: 253
Other transportation equipment manufacturing: 3,438
Furniture and related product manufacturing: 506
Miscellaneous manufacturing: 729
Nondurable goods: 2,777
Food product manufacturing: 923
Textile and textile product mills: 151
Apparel manufacturing: 30
Paper manufacturing: 301
Printing and related support activities: 524
Petroleum and coal products manufacturing: 26
Chemical manufacturing: 514
Plastics and rubber products manufacturing: 308
Wholesale trade: 12,651
Retail trade: 18,243
Transportation and warehousing, excluding Postal Service: 5,548
Air transportation: 1,256
Rail transportation: 580
Water transportation: 9
Truck transportation: 1,664
Transit and ground passenger transportation: 262
Pipeline transportation: 44
Other transportation and support activities: 1,316
Warehousing and storage: 417
Information: 6,378
Publishing including software: 1,645
Motion picture and sound recording industries: 133
Broadcasting and telecommunications: 3,767
Information and data processing services: 833
Finance and insurance: 18,158
Federal Reserve banks, credit intermediation and related services: 12,386
Securities, commodity contracts, investments: 1,048
Insurance carriers and related activities: 4,541
Funds, trusts, and other financial vehicles: 183
Real estate and rental and leasing: 30,136
Real estate: 27,286
Rental and leasing services and lessors of intangible assets: 2,851
Professional and technical services: 12,157
Legal services: 2,172
Computer systems design and related services: 1,599
Other professional, scientific and technical services: 8,386
Management of companies and enterprises: 2,072
Administrative and waste services: 9,613
Administrative and support services: 9,050
Waste management and remediation services: 563
Educational services: 1,556
Health care and social assistance: 14,691
Ambulatory health care services: 8,784
Hospitals and nursing and residential care facilities: 4,838
Social assistance: 1,069
Arts, entertainment, and recreation: 1,957
Performing arts, museums, and related activities: 931
Amusement, gambling, and recreation: 1,026
Accommodation and food services: 7,058
Accommodation: 2,442
Food services and drinking places: 4,616
Government: 26,555
Federal civilian: 4,803
Federal military: 2,449
State and local: 19,303
Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis
Longitude: 109° 3' W to 114° 50' W
Latitude: 31° 20' N to 37° N
Length / Width: Arizona is about 400 miles long and about 310 miles wide.
Geographic Center: The geographic center of Arizona is located in Yavapai County, 55 miles ESE of Prescott.
Borders: Arizona is bordered by Utah to the north. In the south, Arizona shares an international border with Mexico. On the east is New Mexico and on the west is Nevada and California.
Total Area: Arizona covers 114,006 square miles, making it the sixth largest of the 50 states.
Land Area: 113,642 square miles of Arizona are land areas.
Water Area: Only 364 square miles of Arizona are covered by water making Arizona a pretty dry state and just a little wetter than New Mexico and Wyoming.
Highest Point: The highest point in Arizona is Humphreys Peak, northwest of Flagstaff, at 12,633 feet above sea level.
Lowest Point: The lowest point in Arizona is the Colorado River, only 70 feet above sea level.
Mean Elevation: The Mean Elevation of the state of Arizona is 4,100 feet above sea level.
Major Rivers: Colorado River, Little Colorado River, Gila River, Bill Williams River
Major Lakes: Lake Mead, Lake Havasu, Lake Mohave, Theodore Roosevelt Lake, San Carlos Lake, Lake Powell
Source: U.S. Geological Survey
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